Control device for liquid fuel burners



ay 29, A. J. GILBERT ,8 4

CONTROL DEVICE FOR. LIQUID FUEL BURNERS iled Dec. 21 19:51

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Patented May 29, 1934 CONTROL DEVICE FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Alfred J.Gilbert, Windsor, mm,

assignor to The Silent Glow Oil Burner Corporation, Hartford, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Application December 21, 1931, Serial No.582,427

2 Claims.

This invention relates to control valves intended more particularly,though not exclusively, for the control of a liquid fuel supply toburner or other fuel consumption device.

a The invention has, among other objects, the

provision-of avalve structure of relatively inexpensive form consistingof a reduced number of parts and provided with a device of simplied formfor positively limiting the opening movement of the valve.

In the illustrated form of the invention, a valve in duplex form isshown adapted to supply liquid fuel from a common supply source'to apair of duplex or twin burners, so that the supply of liquid fuel toeach burner may be controlled independently of or coordinately withthesupply to the other, but having such relationship that the fuelsupply conditions as to either or both burners may be readilyascertained.

m The invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription when taken in connection with theaccompanying illustrationof one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:- Fig. 1 is a central, longitudinal section taken throughthe valve structure, showing the latter a on a somewhat larger thanactual scale;

3Q Fig. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional elevation on the line 2-2 inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the valve structure on a somewhat smallerscale, showing the covering shield; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail illustrating one of the valves inits full open stopped position.

Referring to the drawing and to the embodiment of the invention hereshown for illustrative purposes, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2,

the valve comprises an elongated valve casing 11 having an interiorsupply chamber 13 interme diate, and herein substantially midwaybetween, its opposite ends, to which chamber liquid fuel is suppliedthrough the pipe connection 15 threaded into the bottom of the casingand connected by a pipe or conduit to any suitable source of fuelsupply. For descriptive purposes, liquid fuel is herein referred to asoil. At each opposite end of the supp y chamber 13, the casing hasformed therein a port of circular cross-section, the two ports being inaxial alignment and cooperatively related each to a control valve, whichvalves are also axially aligned but oppositely disposed. ,One valve onlyneed be described, as they are similar in construction,

a liquid fuel except in respect to the features hereinafter referred to.

Each valve comprises a stem 1'7 having threaded engagement with the boreof the casing so as to be capable, when turned, of being advanced or soretracted with relation to its port. The stem terminates in a valveseating member 19 having a tapered seating surface adapted to seatagainst correspondingly shaped walls at the end .of the port 21, so thatas the valve stem is turned in one direction the port may be opened bythe withdrawal of the seating member therefrom, and

when turned in the other direction is closed by the seating of thevalve. The pitch of the threads on the stem may be such, if desired,that one 70 .turn or a partial turn of the stem will move the valve froma closed position to a position in which the port is sufficiently openedto provide the required fuel supply of oil for the burner, or a threadpitch may be selected requiring a greater 7t range of turning movementthan is provided by a single turn.

The seating member 19' is connected to the threaded portion of the valvestem by a portion 23 of reduced cross section, and around the same sothere is provided within the casing an enlarged annular oil deliveryspace. The shoulder formed between the seating member 19 and theconnecting portion 23 constitutes a stopwall, and within its path intheoil delivery space and a short distance as back of the shoulder there isprovided an abute ment or stop member 25 fixedly secured to the casingand adapted to positively limit the opening movement of the valve. Theabutment 25 is carried by a stud 2'7 which is threaded into the valvecasing and also serves an additional function hereinafter referred to.The abutment 25 provides a very simple and inexpensive form of stopadapted to limit the opening movement of the valve, and further toprevent the valve stem from being withas drawn from the casing in thecourse of ordinary usage. Such movement can obviously be limited to anydesired range by altering the proportions of the abutment and theseating head so that the rotative movement of the valve stem may be hm-10o ited to any desired number of turns of the stem or any fraction of asingle turn, as-may be desired.

The valve stems protrude through opposite endsof the casing, suitablepacking 29 being provided and held in place by the gland 31 and nut 33,the latter threaded on the end of the casing.

To the protruding end of each valve stem is secured a valve actuatingmember, herein in the form a radial arm 35, clamped to a shoulderedportion 37 of the stem by a nut 39. The shouldered portion of the stemand the engaging part of the arm are provided with small, interfittingnotches or teeth which hold the arm fixedly on the stem but permit it tobe removed and readjusted to different angular positions to compensatefor wear, or for any other reasons requiring a resetting of the arm.Each actuating arm extends radially upward and terminates in a lateralextension 41 forming an index member in the shape of a finger or pointerwhich extends inwardly and over but in close relation to a scale orseries of graduations (Fig. 3) representing the degree of port openingor the rate at which oil is being supplied. These graduations are markedat each opposite end of a covering shield 43 which overlies the entirevalve structure and is particylindrical in shape, the axis of thecylinder coinciding approximately with the axis of the valve, so thatthe graduated edges of the shield lie in approximate parallelism to thepath of movement of the index member 41. The shield 43 is secured byscrews 45 to the upright studs 27 which are threaded into the top of thevalve casing and carry the interior valve-abutting stops 25 heretoforereferred to.

To position the valve actuating arm in any assigned position ofadjustment, opposite edges of the shield may be provided with a seriesof notches or serrations 47, arm has pressed or otherwise formed in it asomewhat rounded protrusion 49 (Fig. 1) adapted to engage the notches.The arm is preferably somewhat resilient and is clamped on the stem insuch a position that it bears yieldably against the notched edge of theshield so that it may be held thereby in' any assigned position to whichit is moved but may be readily turned and slipped from one notch toanother. The index member 41 may be provided with a button 51, or othersuitable means may be utilized, to conveniently manipulate each valveactuating arm.

It will be observed that one valve stem (herein the right-hand one inFig. 1 and left-hand one in Fig. 3) is provided with right-hand threads,while the opposite valve stem has left-hand threads, so that in openingor closing the respective valves both index members move in the samedirection, as viewed from the operators standpoint, that .is to say,from above in Fig. 3, one valve (right-hand one in Fig. 3) actuallyhaving a clockwise opening movement and the other a counterclockwiseopening movement. The result is that the index members in the closed oropen position, or in the same intermediate position, of both valves liedirectly opposite each other in positions of exact alignment, pointingtoward each other along substantially the same element of thecylindrical shield. Accordingly, a" mere casual or distant observationof the relative positions of the index fingers on the shield, andwithout the necessity of reference to the scale, will enable one to seeat any time whether oil is being suppliedto both burners at the samerate or at differentrates, and if at different rates the relationbetween the two. Furthermore, due to the segmental form of thescalebearing end of the shield, which, to the view of the operator,spreads the graduations in a linear series, as contrasted with acircular series, the degree to which either valve is open may be readilyascertained from a. casual or distant observation, and withoutexamination of the scale, by observing the general position of the indexmember along the segmental scale and its relation to the opposite endsthereof. Provision is preferably made so and the abutting face of eachvthat the abutting stops 25 provide substantially the same range ofopening movement for each valve and the index members of the two valves,when the latter are stopped at tion, lie opposite each other in ment. 4

By positioning the stop member 25 so that it engages the stop wallbetween the threaded portion of the valve stem and the seating member ofthe valve and in immediate contact with or proximity thereto, itprovides a positive and accurate stop subject to substantially novariation, preventing withdrawal of the valve stem except throughdismantling the structure, as well as providing a stop which canbereadily adjusted by altering the proportions of the abutment and theseating head, and one which can be removed to permit the withdrawal ofthe valve stem from the casing only substantial alignthe full openposiby removing the shield 43 and the threaded studs 27.

When the valves are opened, oil passes from the central supply chamber13 through the ports into the annular delivery chambers surrounding thereduced portions 23 of the valve stems, passing thence into the pipeconnections or nipples 53 which are threaded into the side of the valvecasing to communicate with their respective delivery chambers, andthence to the delivery pipes for the burner or other fuel consumptionunit.

The described structure has the advantage of being readily cleaned fromsludge, dirt or other accumulations, the removal of the valve from thecasing providing a straight-away opening through the ports and thesupply and delivery chambers through which a cleaning member may beinserted. The valve stems may be readily removed by unscrewing the studs27 and withdrawing the abutting stops 25. To further facilitatecleaning, the valve casing has an opening in the top of the supplychamber aligning with the supply connection or nipple 15, which openingis closedby the plug 55.

While I have herein shown and described for the purpose of illustrationone specific embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood thatextensive changes may be made in the details of construction andrelative arrangement of parts, all without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A controlling valve structure comprising an elongated valve casinghaving a supply chamber intermediate its ends and oppositely disposeddelivery chambers communicating with said supply chamber-throughoppositely disposed ports, axially aligned oppositely disposed valvesoperativ'ely related one tov each port and having each a stemin threadedengagement with the casing, said stems extending through opposite endsof the casing and having one a right-hand threaded engagement and theother a left-hand threaded engagement with the walls of t e casing, eachvalve having a valve seating member adapted to open and close its portthrough rotative movement of the stem, an external manually operablerotatable actuating member for each valve, oppositely arrangedindicating devices for each valve comprising an indicating scale membersecured to the casing and a cooperating index member carried by saidactuating member, studs supporting said scale member on the casing, astop wall provided by each valve between the valve seating member andthe threaded portion of the stem, and a stop member carried by each studand lying each within the path of one of the stem, an externalindicating device support-- ed by the casing for indicating the positionof the valve, a stop wall carried by the valve between the valve seatingmember and the threaded portion of the stem, and a support for saidindicating device extending through the walls,

of the casing and presenting an interior stop member lying within thepath of said stop wall to limit the opening movement of the valve.ALFRED J. GILBERT.

